


all my glory days are yours

by rosebudryot



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And they were soulmates, Author adora, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Mentions of past abuse, Mild Angst, Pining, Platonic relationships bc. Yeah, actress catra, i know nothing about the film industry, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24917158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebudryot/pseuds/rosebudryot
Summary: Adora never expected her debut novel Grayskull to get so much attention. What started as a coping mechanism became a bestseller, and now she’s turning it into a movie with the help of her best friends Bow and Glimmer.Catra never expected to act in another movie. However, with the Horde films being both a stain on her career and the most notable part of it so far, she figures it’s time to get back in the game. (Also, her agent/closest friend Scorpia won’t let her give up quite yet.)“You already know how this goes, don’t you?” Catra asks.“Yes,” Adora responds. “Just let me hear it in your voice.”
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 225





	1. Great Expectations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so I’ve been working on this fic for roughly a month and I’m finally posting the first chapter! It should be noted that i know next to nothing about the film industry, so please take all that with a grain of salt. Also, this is my first multi chapter fic that actually has multiple chapters, so pls have mercy! I had a lot of fun writing it so hopefully yall have fun reading! Thanks x100 to sink and emma who put up with my rambling and gave me some ideas. Y’all r the realest and ily. 
> 
> Title from “Love & War in Your Twenties” by Jordy Searcy
> 
> Enjoy!

**Brightmoon Studios ✓** @brightmoonfilm

The cast of the #grayskullmovie has been announced!

[image] 

**94.6k** Retweets **101.3k** Likes

**˗ˏˋ Missy ˊˎ˗** @savethecat

_replying to @brightmoonfilm_

EVERYONE SHUT UPPPPP THIS IS MY FAVE BOOK THEY FINALLY ANNOUNCED THE CAST 

**73** Retweets **178** Likes

**i literally can’t read** @jared19

WAIT WAIT WAIT I KINDA LOVE IT THOUGH #grayskullmovie

**3** Retweets **14** Likes

**Bibi !COMMISSIONS CLOSED!** @purbleplace

R U JOKING THEY GOT CATRA DRILUTH SHES THE LOML LOOK AT HER

[image] [image]

**42** Retweets **74** Likes

**sara** @cherry_oh

_replying to @purbleplace_

SHES THE GIRL FROM THE HORDE TRILOGY RIGHT??? 

Retweets **3** Likes

**Bibi !COMMISSIONS CLOSED!** @purbleplace

_replying to @cherry_oh_

YES SHE’S GORGEOUS AND LITERALLY SO TALENTED I JUST GOT 100x MORE HYPED FOR #grayskullmovie

Retweets **2** Likes

_Adora Randor ✨ for the honor of grayskull!! Retweeted_

**Happy Place** ✓ @happyplacenet

Adora Randor on destiny, genuine storytelling, and the upcoming #grayskullmovie 

[link attached]

**213** Retweets **2.4k** Likes

* * *

Catra clicks off her phone and shoves it in her jacket pocket, brushing off the infectious excitement of Twitter fans. Scorpia had told her on the way to the audition that the source material had a pretty big fan base, and she’d probably be a hot topic on social media for a while if she landed the role.

She’s used to the scrutiny. She’ll give everyone the performance they expect of her; that’s not a concern. It’s just a matter of getting through filming unscathed, dodging the hungry journalists begging for interviews and behind-the-scenes info now that they smell the blood in the water.

Scorpia will help with that. She’s practically the only reason Catra landed the role in the first place. She’s a good agent and better friend, simultaneously headstrong and forgiving. She’ll know who to deny and who to accept to get the right kind of publicity. 

_Speak of the devil,_ Catra thinks, though that’s not entirely right. Scorpia is the opposite of the devil, any intimidation garnered through her height and muscle immediately canceled out the moment she opens her mouth. 

Scorpia slides into the booth across from Catra, her smile blinding in the dim light of the pub.

“How goes it, wildcat?”

Catra shrugs and flicks her straw wrapper aimlessly. “It goes.”

Scorpia’s smile doesn’t waver. “Well, I brought something!” She turns and reaches into her purse, a faux leather monstrosity Catra would sooner incinerate than wear. 

After a brief moment of rifling around, Scorpia emerges with a stack of papers and slides them towards Catra. They’re printed in full color, pictures of people bordered by bullet-points and names.

“I figured you’d want to know who you’re going to be working with!” Scorpia says. “I mean, I’m sure you’ve already gone through the cast list and read every tweet even remotely related to the movie, but I just had so much fun color-coding everything.”

Catra pointedly ignores the tweet comment and instead focuses on the faces in front of her. She recognizes a handful of them from movies she’s seen in the past, notices some names that have popped up in credits. “So you went online and stalked people for me?”

“Does it count as stalking if it’s on their IMDB page?”

Catra shrugs again, glances over the profile of a girl named Perfuma. “Sometimes. Do I really need to know their favorite colors?”

Scorpia starts to stick her tongue out but stops just in time to avoid smudging her black lipstick. “C’mon, that’s super important! It tells you a lot about a person.” She scoots out of the booth, comes over to Catra’s side and takes a seat.

“Look,” Scorpia says, grabbing Perfuma’s paper. “This girl starred in a movie called _Plumeria,_ her birthday is March 1st, she’s a vegetarian, she’s got beautiful eyes…” 

“Scorp. Scorpia.” Catra watches her best friend with fond exasperation, a look she’s personally received more than once, though the levels of fondness varied heavily.

Scorpia clears her throat, tries to hide it in a nervous laugh. “She’ll be your co-star, and there’s also, uh,” she grabs the next nearest paper, “Glimmer! Glim— her name is Glimmer...? She’ll be the director. This is her first major film, I think. I’ve heard she’s good friends with the author of the book the movie is based on. Who is…”

Catra hands Scorpia the papers she had yet to look at, and the taller woman shuffles through them for a moment before finding the one she needs.

“This is Adora! _Grayskull_ is her first book, so I mean, this is a pretty big deal for her.”

Catra has heard her name before, of course. She’s starring in a movie based off of the book this woman wrote. They’re around the same age, but could be considered polar opposites in nearly every other aspect. 

Needless to say, filming should be interesting.

The picture Scorpia used must be from the book jacket of _Grayskull_ , Adora’s framed-candid smile and over the shoulder look screaming “New York Times’ Bestseller”. It somehow bypasses pretentiousness and lands squarely in the dorky category. 

Catra kind of loves looking at it.

* * *

**Adora Randor on destiny, genuine storytelling, and Grayskull**

Lynda D’Ream

Filed to: INTERVIEW

Yesterday 3:30 PM

After the announcement of a film adaptation for Adora Randor’s _Grayskull_ being in the works, fans were understandably ecstatic. _Grayskull_ peaked at #1 on the _New York Times_ hardcover fiction bestseller list, where it remained for a month and attracted the attention of the acclaimed Brightmoon Studios. Though the novel has since dropped from the top spot, it remains highly ranked on the list.

Happy Place was able to land a phone interview with the author who started this entire journey to hear more about her experiences in adapting her debut work.

**Lynda: So, Adora, what’s it like working with a team to visualize something like this? Is the film industry standing up to your expectations?**

**Adora:** It’s great! Everyone at Brightmoon is so understanding, and I feel like they really _get_ what I was trying to say when I was writing. I really didn’t have any expectations besides like, _this is gonna be so crazy what am I doing_ [laughs] which I still feel sometimes. 

**Lynda: Of course! I imagine the translation is jarring. Would you mind giving some insight into what it was like actually writing the story? What was going through your mind as you created something that so many people, including myself, enjoy today?**

**Adora:** Oh my gosh, thank you! I’m glad you like it! It was… [when] I wrote _Grayskull_ I was having a lot of trouble articulating what I wanted from people, and really what I wanted from myself. It started as kind of a vent work in that way, but I think it grew into something much bigger than that… It became more about the things we want in life and when to allow ourselves to have them. [It is about] The rejection of your predetermined destiny and what you do with yourself after deciding you’re going to change.

**Lynda: That’s something you’ve conveyed so well throughout the course of the story. It feels like the entire work** **_yearns_ ** **for something, if that makes sense [laughs].**

**Adora:** Absolutely!

**Lynda: Part of the reason I enjoyed it so much, and I think maybe part of the reason everyone else did too is because you can really feel the soul in it. You’ve managed to make something that is noticeably personal to you, while also being relatable for everyone who reads it. You should be very proud of that.**

**Adora:** That’s… wow! Yeah, that’s incredibly nice to hear. Because it really is a personal work, you know? But I didn’t want it to feel like I was making it… inaccessible for anyone else, or like I was trying to exclude someone. It’s just kind of what I was feeling. I think that’s something that should really be at the heart of everything you create. Just tell your story, because nobody else can do it the way you can. At the end of the day, you’ll start to figure out what you’re trying to say, it’s just a matter of saying it. 

**Lynda: That’s so well-put! I trust that it will all come through in the movie.**

**Adora:** I sure hope so! We don’t have a set release date yet, but we’ve finally nailed down the cast. I think everyone fits really well and I can’t wait to get started!

**Lynda: You and all the rest of us! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today, I’ll be looking forward to your future projects!**

**Adora:** Thank _you!_

———————

_Lynda D’Ream is a journalist, farmer, and mother of five. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @ImASpy_

* * *

It’s a 15 minute cab ride from Adora’s apartment to Brightmoon studios, but it feels like an eternity in a city that moves so fast.

The driver is mercifully silent the entire time. Adora wills her thoughts to stop racing, wrestling them into a form that doesn’t resemble the blur of pedestrians and skyscrapers passing by through the window. It sort of works.

It’s the first day of filming. The first day of her biggest project to date. The first day of something that could completely ruin what she can barely even call a career to begin with.

Adora’s running on three hours of sleep, max.

There’s a maelstrom of anxiety and adrenaline keeping her upright, though she’s sure her eye bags will give her away as soon as Glimmer sees her. She had resigned herself to the scolding sometime around 3:30 AM. Sleep revealed itself to be a lost cause, and she spent the rest of the morning making a battle plan for the first day.

The cab slows to a crawl. Stops completely.

Adora pays the fare and tries not to feel like the end of the world is outside of the door. Her hand doesn’t shake as she steps onto the sidewalk, though there’s an earthquake tearing through her chest. 

_God, what am I even doing?_

Her phone starts ringing before the earthquake can escape her chest and start ravaging the city, which feels like the inevitable conclusion.

“-Dora? Adora? You there?” 

“Bow? I’m— yeah. I’m in front of the studio, I just got here.” Adora says, mentally patting herself on the back when she speaks without her voice shaking.

“Wow, Glimmer must be psychic,” Bow responds. “She told me to call you.”

Adora chuckles, tension easing slightly. “Yeah, she gets it from Angella. Tell her I’m headed up, would you?”

“Got it. Adora?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve got this. We’ve got your back, the whole way through.”

“Thanks, Bow.” Adora exhales, steeling herself to walk through the front doors of Brightmoon Studios. “Love you.”

She imagines Bow smiling on the other side of the line and knows she’ll be able to hear it as soon as he speaks. 

“Love you too.” Bow says, and his words are laced with a grin.

They hang up a moment later, though Adora feels a thousand times better. It’s easy to forget in the grand scheme of things that Brightmoon Studios is made up of everyone who makes her feel safe. Lights, camera, action is nothing more than Bow, Glimmer, Adora. She isn’t alone anymore.

As it turns out, the reception area hasn’t transformed into a final boss room just because she’s working in the building now. The receptionist smiles and waves her through, and the walls don’t start to shake.

She makes it all the way into the studio before anything changes. 

Adora steps into the room and it feels like she’s under siege. Everyone is looking at her, conversations halted. She spots Glimmer in the crowd at the moment Glimmer spots her, and she’s at Adora’s side so fast it seems like she’s teleported.

“There you are! Excited for your first day? Everyone’s already here, I think.” Glimmer has a hand on her arm, pulling her through the room. It’s all Adora can do to nod slightly and follow her.

They stop in front of a director’s chair with the word “AUTHOR” on the back in big, white letters.

“Do you like it?” Glimmer asks. “It was Bow’s idea.”

Adora stands stock still for a moment, mind struggling to catch up. Glimmer waits patiently. “I… yeah. You guys really didn’t have to do that.” 

“We thought it might make you feel a little better. This is a big deal, y’know?”

“Trust me, Glim. I know.”

Glimmer frowns at that. “You’ve been freaking out since last night, haven’t you?”

“Yes!” Adora groans, throwing herself into the chair. “There’s so many things about this whole process that I don’t _know_ , and I just… what if someone asks me a question I can’t answer?” 

“This isn’t an exam, Adora. You’re allowed to make things up on the spot. You’re allowed to ask questions and figure things out as you go along! It would be freaky if you knew everything.” Glimmer says. She sets a hand on Adora’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

Adora grabs Glimmer’s hand and squeezes back. There’s a million things she wants to thank her for, but she stops when she sees Glimmer’s face. Adora follows her gaze to the other side of the room, where Angella and Bow have just stepped through. Angella looks like a woman with a cause, which is her most common expression. Bow looks like he’s slightly terrified by the current events but is going along with it nevertheless, which is _his_ most common expression.

“What is she _doing_ here?” Glimmer mutters, hand falling back to her side and curling into a fist. “I’m— I can handle it. I told her I could handle it.”

The newcomers make a beeline for Adora and Glimmer, Angella either impervious to her daughter’s glare or just ignoring it. It’s more likely the latter.

“Adora, lovely to see you as always.” Angella nods in her direction. “Glimmer, you as well.”

It doesn’t look like Glimmer shares the sentiment.

“It’s the first day, so I thought I’d come down and oversee introductions. It’s only right for me to show face at the very beginning.” Angella says.

“Yes! _Right_. Introductions.” Adora echoes, secretly grateful for some semblance of a plan. “We can do that.”

Glimmer looks like she’s five seconds away from combusting. “Is it really necessary? You’re not even on this project. I can _handle this._ ”

They share a look, an entire conversation happening between mother and daughter that is impossible for anyone else to pick up on. Well, maybe besides Bow.

“Nonsense. I’m just starting you off.” Angella dismisses, and her tone leaves no room for argument.

She whirls on her heel to face the rest of the room. There’s crew members milling around and setting up the equipment they’ll need for the day. Angella claps her hands once, and it all stops.

Adora knows Glimmer wouldn’t be able to capture everyone’s attention like that, and she’s sure Glimmer knows it too. They leave it unsaid.

“Good morning, everyone.” Angella calls. Her voice carries throughout the studio. “It’s our first official day on set, so I decided it was only right to come facilitate introductions. It’s important to know who you’re working with on a project like this.”

“We’ll begin camera and sound checks in an hour. Cast should also report to hair and makeup to get ready in an hour. Until then, please start by talking to your fellow crew members. We’re all going to be working very closely for the next few months.” She ends her announcement with a decisive nod.

“That should be sufficient.” She says, just loud enough for the three of them to hear. “I’ll be expecting updates at the end of the day.”

Glimmer sighs but nods her head. “Okay, sure. You can go now, mom.”

Angella rolls her eyes, an action she’s no doubt had practice doing. “Right, I’m going.”

They watch her leave, none of them daring to say anything until she’s completely out of sight.

“So…” Bow starts. “That was helpful.”

Glimmer groans and drags her hands down her face. “She doesn’t trust me! She doesn’t even trust me to make _announcements!_ ”

“I’m sure it’s just because it’s your first real project, Glim. She wants it to go well.”

“Adora’s right! It’s not because of you or anything. It’s just… insurance.”

Glimmer doesn’t get the chance to question the concept of insurance. They’re approached by a blonde girl with waist-length hair and a peaceful smile.

“Hi, I’m Perfuma. I just wanted to take the chance to introduce myself in hopes that we can all work together in harmony in the future!” She speaks slowly, as if she’s taking her time with every word.

Adora and Glimmer make eye contact briefly. Actors are normally a little _out there_ , sure, but she must be good if she got the role. Bow doesn’t seem to notice anything strange, because he offers his hand to shake and smiles back at her.

“It’s great to meet you! I saw you in _Plumeria_ , you were really amazing— I’m Bow, by the way.”

Perfuma reaches out to shake his hand and Adora lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Something about Perfuma makes it seem like she prefers hugs and Adora is _not_ prepared for that. 

Glimmer goes after, irritation replaced by pride as soon as she introduces herself as the director. Adora can’t help but be proud of her too. She’s fought tooth and nail to climb out of her mother’s shadow and get the opportunity to prove herself. 

Perfuma turns her mega-watt smile on Adora next, extending her hand to shake. “You must be Adora. I really enjoyed _Grayskull_ ; it had such a genuine energy. I’m so honored to work on set with you!”

Adora shakes her hand dumbly, trying to find her voice again. “That’s, uh, wow! Thank you! I’m looking forward to working with you as well.”

Perfuma departs with a little wave, which Bow reciprocates.

“There you go, miss visionary!” Glimmer sing-songs. “You’re doing really important work here!”

Adora shakes her head and smiles. She’ll take the praise for what it is.

They’re approached by a few more people, mostly consisting of crew members they already know coming to deliver congratulations. 

Glimmer, surprisingly, survives a conversation with their set design intern Frosta. Her talent has already landed her a position in the studio even though she’s only a senior in high school. It’s a bit of a sore spot for Glimmer, who only recently earned her mother’s trust enough to work on this project. 

They’re talking to their casting director Spinnerella when a pair Adora doesn’t recognize joins them.

“Wow, you must be Glimmer. I’m Scorpia, Catra’s agent and—“ the taller woman laughs. “Moral support.”

The woman behind her, who Adora assumes is Catra, doesn’t look amused. Adora shifts her attention in that direction. Catra’s arms are crossed over her chest, and she’s wearing a black denim jacket despite the oppressive heat she just came in from. There’s a snake eating its own tail embroidered over her heart— an ouroboros, Adora thinks it might be called. It’s been too many years since she took Classics to be positive. 

Scorpia shakes Glimmer’s hand, though she looks slightly disappointed that they’re not hugging. It reminds Adora of Perfuma. _I wonder if they’ve ever met. They’d probably get along really well._

Bow introduces himself to Scorpia before turning to look at Catra. She’s not making direct eye contact.

“So you’re Catra? It’s nice to meet you.” He nearly extends his hand, but stops himself when he notices her crossed arms. “I saw you in the Horde movies. You were really good.”

Her expression changes, then, and Adora wonders what the story is behind _that._ It’s a mix of pride and anxiety, like she can’t choose between accepting the compliment or being mortified that somebody noticed. She somehow manages to look like both at once.

_I can’t tell if she’s gonna thank him or choke him out._

She does neither, instead responding, “Yeah, I’m Catra” when Scorpia notices her face and gives her a gentle nudge.

The intercom crackles to life before anyone can comment on that. “Cast, please report to your respective dressing room in ten minutes for hair and makeup! Also, if anyone’s seen a disassembled radio anywhere, _don’t touch it!_ ” It’s the voice of Entrapta, the resident tech expert of Brightmoon. Officially, she works in special effects. Unofficially, she’s the reason they have such a good WiFi signal in the studio.

Anyone who knows Entrapta knows not to question her antics or touch any live wires that may be strewn about. They’re normally gone the next day anyway. Scorpia nods her head as the intercom clicks off, as if agreeing with Entrapta’s logic. Catra’s the only one who looks concerned.

“Well, I guess we should head off! Don’t wanna be late on the first day.” Scorpia says, grabbing Catra’s arm and pulling her along. “It was great meeting you!”

Glimmer, Bow, and Adora watch as the two of them walk off in a direction that is decidedly _not_ toward the dressing rooms.

“Do you think we should help them?” Glimmer asks.

Adora shakes her head. “They’ll figure it out.”

* * *

**Princess Glimmer** **✓** @notallsparkles

First day on set for the #grayskullmovie !! >:P

[image]

**272** Retweets **5.6k** Likes

* * *

“What was that for?” Catra asks, yanking her arm out of Scorpia’s grasp.

Scorpia gives her an apologetic look and shrugs. “You just looked like you needed an out. Also, I don’t actually know where the dressing rooms are… this place is just so big!”

Catra thought she would be _fine_ . She hadn’t been affiliated with Prime Studios in over a year, but the Horde movies were the most notable point of her career so far. Someone was bound to bring it up. She thought she’d be _ready._

But when someone did, she froze. That Bow kid probably thought she was high or something. _He was even paying you a compliment, dumbass_.

“Catra? We really should figure out where the dressing rooms are…”

Catra looks up at Scorpia, who’s waiting patiently. Scorpia, who’s giving her an out, saving her again. Catra doesn’t want to be saved. She doesn’t want to _have_ to be saved.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks for getting me out of there.”

————

The dressing rooms are right around the corner, according to some kid who goes pale as soon as Scorpia approaches him to ask. He reminds Catra of Kyle, but she derails that train of thought as quickly as possible. Thinking about Kyle means thinking about the environment they were in, which is exactly what she needs to _not_ be doing right now.

They enter a hallway lined with closed doors that all look the same, save for the names. Hers is at the end: C. Driluth is etched into a little silver plate bolted to the door.

It’s a little weird to have her very own dressing room. They’d shared back when— _okay nope not thinking about that._

“Man, look at all this! You even have a fountain!”

Catra turns in surprise and sure enough, there it is: a fountain, sitting on a table in the corner of the room. It’s portable and making a pleasant little whirring sound. 

There’s a mirror vanity against one wall, a couch and magazine table against the other. It looks like they stole the color scheme of the room from an ice cream shop.

Catra’s struck once again by how different everything feels. _What am I doing in a place like this? What if—_

There’s a knock at the door. Scorpia and Catra exchange confused glances.

“...Come in?”

The door is shoved open and Catra just barely avoids being bulldozed by a short, tan girl with a cloud of yellow hair. She has a large box balanced on one hip and a phone wedged against her shoulder.

“No, I’m about to— Tal, I know! I’m just gonna— _well just get here then!”_ She hangs up abruptly and drops her phone into the box.

“Sorry, sorry,” the woman says, addressing the other people in the room with her. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head slightly, offering them an bashful smile. “I’m Starla.”

She doesn’t try to shake her hand, and Catra is grateful. “I’m Catra. That’s Scorpia.” 

Scorpia waves before turning back to the magazine she’s acquired. Catra sees something on the cover about “daily affirmations” but the rest is obscured.

“Oh, I know! I’ve seen all your movies.”

There’s only three movies she could be talking about. Catra freezes, all of the air in her lungs arriving in the same place in an instant, _suffocating her—_.

She makes a fist with one hand, pushing her nails into the soft skin of her palm. Scorpia taught her to do it. She also taught her to keep her nails filed down just enough to avoid drawing blood. It keeps her from giving into the urge to run, to go anywhere but here. 

_It’s fine. You’re fine._

Starla remains blissfully unaware of the minor freak-out happening in front of her. “I’ll be in charge of your hair while we’re filming! Probably your makeup, too, if my sister doesn’t get here soon…”

Catra exhales sharply and nods. “Okay. Just tell me what to do.”

Starla smiles and turns to rifle through the box she’s set down on the vanity. “You really don’t have to do much! Just sit still and turn when I tell you to.” She lets out a little cheer and emerges with an intimidatingly large hair brush and some ties and pins. “And come sit here.”

Catra does as she’s told, taking a seat in front of the vanity. The lights mounted on top highlight every aspect of her face. _I look tired_.

Scorpia gives her a thumbs up in the mirror. She nods back.

“It’s really nothing fancy for the opening scenes. I’m gonna braid your hair and contour your face a little— just to accentuate your bone structure for the camera.”

Starla ties back sections of Catra’s hair to make it easier to brush the rest. “ _Oh._ I didn’t notice these. Do you mind if I dye them to match the rest of your hair?”

Catra follows her gaze. The pieces of hair framing her face are bleached; a desperate attempt to salvage a past undercut that had begun growing out.

“Go ahead.”

Catra’s tired of being reminded about her past.

* * *

**Master Maker Bow ✓** @arrowboy

First day selfie of the Best Friend Squad!! <3

[image]

**138** Retweets **2.8k** Likes

* * *

Adora’s anxiety fluctuates as they get closer to filming. She sits quietly and cracks her knuckles, a habit she picked up from Glimmer’s dad Micah. She used to cringe at the sound, convinced it was painful. When she finally built up the courage to ask about it, Micah just smiled and told her it was something to do with his hands. Adora needed something to do with her hands, back then, that didn’t involve punching walls and daring them to fight back.

Glimmer herself might be the only one more anxious than Adora. She paces back and forth, hands clasped behind her back. Bow had cast them both sympathetic looks as he left to go set up mics a half hour before.

“Glim, it’s gonna be fine. How much can go wrong on the first day?”

“Says you,” Glimmer scoffs. “You’re gonna have arthritis by the time you’re 30 if you keep cracking your knuckles like that.”

Adora stares at her, unimpressed, but she sets her hands in her lap. 

“Sorry. I’m kinda just freaking out because this is a huge deal and I _need this to go well_ or my mom’s never gonna let me direct another movie!” Glimmer says quickly, her words tumbling over themselves. 

Adora stands up and makes her way over to Glimmer in three short strides. Glimmer stops pacing to look at her, though her eyes are still panicked. “Listen to me. Your mom isn’t going to never let you work again just because of one little slip up! Which you won’t make anyway, because you’re an amazing director. You’ve _got this_.”

_I’m really not in any position to be giving pep talks right now_. 

Glimmer exhales sharply and runs a hand through her hair. “Yeah, okay. You’re right.”

They smile at each other, a silent reminder to slow down and breathe. _You’re not alone._

_I know. You’re not either._

They’re interrupted by a terrified-looking assistant who informs them that they have five minutes until cameras begin to roll.

“You ready?” Adora asks, offering her hand.

Glimmer accepts it. “Born ready.”

—————

Five minutes become an eternity and a millisecond fused into one. Glimmer and Adora sit in their designated chairs, wringing their hands now that there’s nothing for them to do. Final adjustments are being made to the camera angles and set, which is decorated like the inside of a high rise building for the opening scene.

There’s probably a metaphor hidden in the fact that Adora began her story so far off the ground. She decides to let it live as a metaphor; there’s no point in giving weight to something like that when she’s much steadier now.

Adora watches Perfuma fiddle with her dress from across the room. Her hair has been put up in a series of elaborate braids, kept in place with strategically placed pins.

Catra enters Adora’s line of vision with Scorpia in tow. She’s also been through wardrobe, her black denim outfit replaced by a bodysuit. Her hair is pulled back into one braid compared to Perfuma’s nest of them. 

The air around her has changed since Adora first saw her. She doesn’t look quite so _empty_ anymore, like the vague memory of someone you haven’t seen in years; the fragments of a dream that slip away faster the more you try to hold on.

Catra walks with the power of someone who marched into enemy territory and got back out without a scratch. It’s mesmerizing to watch.

It’s not long before places are called and Catra makes her way on set. She’s alone for the first few minutes of the opening scene. Perfuma will join her before long, and from there they’ll work on a handful of collaborative scenes for the day. 

Bow waves his arms to get Adora and Glimmer’s attention before giving them a thumbs up and a grin.

Glimmer laughs, and Adora doesn’t point out that her voice shakes slightly. 

A few of the lights in the studio go out to give the set the right atmosphere. Glimmer grabs Adora’s hand and squeezes, anxiety and excitement and relief all translated in one gesture.

“Quiet on the set!” Someone calls from the other side of the room. 

There’s a brief pause, and then “Frame!”

Glimmer takes a deep breath, excitement finally breaking through in full force. Her eyes are wide, trying to take in everything about the moment.

“Action!”

It’s a little anticlimactic, at first. Catra doesn’t have any lines until Perfuma shows up. Adora watches, entranced, as Catra plays on the audiences’ sympathy with her expressions instead. She stares silently out of a window that will eventually show the city scape. It currently displays sections of a large green screen they’ve got installed on set.

Adora remembers how difficult it was to write the beginning of _Grayskull_. The story existed in fragments in her head, but none of it was down on paper yet. It was a creature without a name or a face. How do you even start to define something like that? 

Catra doesn’t seem to have any of the same difficulties starting out. She interacts with the set, expression shifting seamlessly as the situation demands it. There’s moments where Adora feels like Catra is the only other person in the room with her. She’s taking the thoughts right out of her brain, saying them back to her, making them beautiful.

Perfuma’s character enters the set after a few moments, cameras adjusting to get her in frame. The chemistry between them is instant and palpable. Adora’s been to quite a few filmings while Glimmer shadowed her mother, and there are some times when the main actors don’t connect. According to Angella, it’s something you can pick up on in the final product. They would normally send the actors to an outing together, something to get them to bond. 

_That’s obviously not necessary here_. Catra’s eyes soften as she speaks to Perfuma, and though Adora knows there were directions for facial cues in the script, it still makes her stomach drop for some reason. 

Perfuma rounds the table to tug on Catra’s braid and Adora grimaces, though it’s acted out perfectly. 

The scene winds down after a moment and Glimmer snaps back into the real world to call “cut!”, previously captivated by everything playing out in front of her.

They do a few more takes with different perspectives and line deliveries, but everyone can tell they’re not necessary. 

It was perfect the first time.

————

They’ve finished filming for the first day, made official by Bow’s “done for the day!” selfie and subsequent tweet. 

Glimmer’s been walking around with an infectious smile since they wrapped up, relief evident in her face. There won’t be any major mishaps to report to her mother. She decides to leave out the incident of Entrapta tripping over a stray wire while tinkering and nearly causing the collapse of an entire camera rig. _Little victories_.

Adora can’t help but feel relieved too. It’s a slight miracle that they managed to make it through without a hitch. Part of her is still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

She’s making rounds around the studio assisting with clean up when it does. Catra’s sitting in a chair similar to her own, though Adora assumes this one has her name on it instead of “AUTHOR”. She’s drinking out of a water bottle and listening intently to something Scorpia is saying when she notices Adora. Escaped wisps of hair frame her face in revolt from her braid.

There’s a message in the way they look at each other, though it’s in a language neither of them have learned yet. There will be time for that later.

Catra grins, and it says enough. Adora wants to write a story about it; she wants to write a series, fill up a library, kiss her and burn it all down with the sparks. 

_Where the hell did that come from?_

Adora doesn’t do any of that. She just smiles back.

* * *

**Bella !!!** @honorofgayskull

sooo did anyone else notice that the two actresses they just cast for grayskull would look kinda cute together…

[image] [image]

**217** Retweets **594** Likes

**Cassidy | stream the ABCs** @plvmeria

_replying to @honorofgayskull_

(eyes) #catfuma 

**376** Retweets **648** Likes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. That was that. sorry if these notes are a little bit feral, this is my second time doing this because formatting on mobile is a NIGHTMARE and I don’t know how to do anything. If you enjoyed, please leave a comment! They’re super motivating and will help me get the rest of the chapters done quicker. The 2nd one is already written and should be up on 7/5. (I write pretty slow so i need time to build up a backlog of chapters to avoid getting janked.) kudos are also appreciated!! Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Come yell at me (nicely or ill cry) on tumblr @ rosebudryot <3


	2. Persuasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH hi hello! First off happy birthday scorpia second off I’m rushing this so much because I’m about to not have service for 12 hours but i said I would post today! Wow okay so i finished editing like 20 minutes ago bc I’m so, so good at procrastinating. Once again formatting is a nightmare, please have mercy. Hope you enjoy! Thx again to sink and Emma, love u nerds <3
> 
> Chapter title is from Persuasion by Jane Austen I’m trying to do a chapter title theme but idk how that’s workin out. peace!

They’ve just wrapped up a week and a half of filming when Bow gets an idea. They’ll be moving locations in a couple days, the green screen and current set no longer sufficient for the scenes they have to work on. 

Adora recognizes the look in Bow’s eyes. “If you pay attention you can tell when he has an idea before he even says anything. He gets all sparkly and excited.” Glimmer explained years ago.

Adora pointed out that Bow was pretty much always sparkly and excited, but she understood what Glimmer meant.

Her suspicions are confirmed when he corners them on their way out of the studio, keys to their shared vehicle held loosely in one hand.

“You guys know where we’re headed next week, right?” Bow starts.

“Uh… Thaymor?” Adora answers, glancing at Glimmer.

“Yeah, we got clearance to set up at a park there for a little while. I was on the phone _forever_ trying to work it out.” Glimmer doesn’t seem to notice Bow’s tone. She swings her bag as they continue walking to the employee parking lot.

“And do you know what’s _in_ Thaymor?” 

Adora thinks about it for a second, trying to come up with any noteworthy places in Thaymor. There’s barely enough people there to call it a city, but the locals are nice. They have small festivals in the spring. _It’s not festival season, is it? Bow would’ve just started with that._

“A park?” Adora tries.

Glimmer snorts. “Yes but also no,” Bow says. “I was talking about frozen yogurt!”

“Bow, that’s not just a Thaymor thing. There’s a froyo place like two minutes away from our apartment. We’ve been there before!” Glimmer says, swinging her bag at him playfully.

He dodges easily. “I know! I don’t mean— what’s one of the first things we did with Adora when she moved?”

“You took me to get frozen yogurt…”

“In Thaymor.” Glimmer finishes.

“Exactly! That’s where we really started to get to know each other.” Bow sounds excited now that Adora and Glimmer have caught on. “I was thinking we could do that with everyone else!”

“That’s not a terrible idea.” Adora opens the car door and throws her bag in the back, sliding in after it. She buckles up as Bow starts the car and Glimmer gets settled in the passenger seat.

“Of course it isn’t!” Bow exclaims, clicking his own buckle into place.

“Y’know what else isn’t a terrible idea?” Glimmer asks with a scheming smile on her face. It reminds Adora of the look Bow gets, though she’s not sure she’d describe _his_ expression as ‘scheming’. “Getting froyo on the way home.”

“ _Yes,_ please.”

* * *

**Bow** _6:33 PM_

hey guys! adora glimmer and i thought it would be a cool idea to get together after filming one day and hang out! theres a really good frozen yogurt place in thaymor where well be next week. lmk if youd like to go! :D

**Scorpia** _6:34 PM_

That sounds awesome!! Can you send me the address?

**Bow** _6:34 PM_

[location attached] cant wait! i dont have catras number, can u tell her?

**Scorpia** _6:35 PM_

I’ll bring her! :)

**Frosta** _6:35 PM_

i have a project due so i cant make it, sorry

**Bow** _6:35 PM_

np! well get together another time im sure so u can come then

**Perfuma** _6:35 PM_

I’d love to attend! [flower emoji]

**Bow** _6:36 PM_

:D !!

**Entrapta** _6:37 PM_

I can’t wibfiw was the 352r day when ethbdf

**Scorpia** _6:38 PM_

Entrapta? Are you okay?

**Bow** _6:38 PM_

oh shes fine its probably just her autoresponse program

**Bow** _6:38 PM_

keep working at it entrapta! youll get there

* * *

“Do we really have to go?” Catra groans, tapping her foot against the passenger-side floorboard. 

Scorpia doesn’t ask her to stop, even though Catra knows her fidgeting must be annoying. She remains unaffected and keeps her eyes on the road.

“It’s gonna be fun! We’ll get to know everyone better. Like a meet and greet! Well, not exactly a meet and greet, since we’ve already met…. there will probably be greetings though!” 

Catra rubs her temples, avoiding the temptation to scrub at her eyes and subsequently ruin her eyeliner. “Can you just— please just drive. I just wanna get there and get it over with so I can get to a bed and sleep.”

The music turns down just slightly. _Shit_.

“So you’ve been sleeping well recently?” Scorpia asks innocently. 

Catra mentally curses herself again. She shouldn’t have mentioned sleeping. The radio continues to play faintly, but not loud enough to make the conversation any more comfortable; mocking her.

“Yeah.” Catra manages after a lengthy silence.

The GPS pipes up with directions from its place on the dashboard and Scorpia merges over to make it to the right exit. 

“You know… you can tell me if you aren’t. We can have a sleepover! I’ll bring pillows, and snacks, and I’ll even watch Killing Eve with you!”

Catra doesn’t answer, casting a glance at Scorpia’s side profile. Scorpia looks over for a split second and smiles. _Wouldn’t it be easy to tear it all down right now? It’s easy to be alone. Tell her no. Jerk the wheel._

“You’re not even caught up. You wouldn’t understand what’s going on.”

“Then explain it to me!” Scorpia says, like it’s just that easy. 

If Catra doesn’t think about it too hard, they’re only talking about TV. “That would take way too long.”

“I’m a fast learner, I promise!”

Scorpia just sounds so _earnest_ , she can’t help it. Catra smiles a little. “We’ll just have to watch it from the beginning. It’s better that way anyway.”

The GPS interrupts before Scorpia can respond. “Arrived.”

The world comes back, their current situation dawning on Catra again. She’s about to go socialize with coworkers. It sounds too grown-up, mature in a way she doesn’t feel equipped for.

“You ready?” Scorpia’s got her hand on the door handle.

“As I’ll ever be, I guess.” 

It’s slightly chilly when she steps out of the car. Catra’s used to being teased for wearing a denim jacket in the summertime, but she’s grateful for it now. The weather is unpredictable. She wraps her arms around herself and looks up at the storefront. 

“Uh… Why are we at a TCBY?”

Scorpia locks the car with the key fob and looks over at her. “Oh, you’ve heard of it? This place has some pretty great reviews online! Welcome to Thaymor City’s Best Yogurt.”

Catra’s eyebrows must be nearing her hairline. “What?”

“That’s what TCBY stands for!” 

“That’s really not—.” Catra trails off.

“Oh look! There’s Bow’s car!” Scorpia exclaims, pointing at a van Catra vaguely recognizes.

“Let’s get this over with.”

* * *

Glimmer had managed to find them a table while Bow parked, though she grumbled about other people being there the whole time. 

_It is pretty packed._ There aren’t many places to sit considering everyone usually uses the drive-thru, but there’s a long line of people at the counter. Adora drums her fingers against the table.

“Perfuma! Over here!” Bow calls, perhaps a little too loud considering the size of the building. It draws her attention and some scowling looks from other patrons. 

She takes a seat on Bow’s right side and smiles at everyone at the table. “Did you find somewhere to park? We didn’t expect it to be this busy.” Bow says.

Perfuma waves her hand. “Oh, I don’t believe in cars! They do such terrible things to the environment.”

Bow looks slightly alarmed. “So… did you bike all the way here?”

“...You don’t believe in cars?” Adora whispers at the same moment.

“I walked, actually!” Perfuma replies. “It was nice to get some fresh air.”

Bow looks significantly more alarmed now, as do Glimmer and Adora. The drive here wasn’t exactly short, so the _walk_ …

“No way she’s human.” Glimmer mutters.

Perfuma doesn’t seem to hear her. “Well, guess I should look at the menu! I wonder what their vegan options are.”

Glimmer turns to Adora. “Are you gonna get your usual?” Adora’s been getting the same thing since they all met, and she says the same thing every time they tease her about it. It’s just simpler to stick to what she knows. Glimmer alternates between a few things she likes, and Bow gets something different every time. 

Adora notices the door opening over her friend’s shoulder before she can answer. 

Scorpia walks in, wearing a black t-shirt dress and leaning over slightly to say something to Catra. Catra looks more than vaguely disgruntled. She’s got on the same denim jacket she had when Adora first met her, and she’s wrapped it tight around herself. 

“Adora?” Glimmer notices Adora’s stare and shifts to look over her own shoulder. “Oh, there they are. Hey, we’re over here!”

Scorpia smiles and points toward their table, saying something else to Catra. Perfuma puts down her menu as they approach, and Bow waves. 

“So glad you could make it! We haven’t ordered anything yet, so you’re good.” Bow slides his own menu across the table.

Scorpia grabs it and skims through the choices, waving to everyone else with her free hand. “There’s so many! What do you normally get?”

Adora tunes them out, knowing Bow has tried mostly everything the place offers and will go down the list with pros and cons. Scorpia seems genuinely interested, too.

“I should’ve known you guys would do something like this.”

The voice comes from her left. Catra’s standing next to her, one hand stuffed in the pocket of her jacket and the other resting on the back of the chair in front of her. “Can I sit?”

Adora nods. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… don’t coworkers normally meet up at bars after work?” Catra responds, leaning onto the table and resting her head in her hand. “Not knock-off TCBY places?”

“Oh. None of us drink, so we just didn’t think— It’s fine if you do! But this place is kinda sentimental and it was Bow’s idea, and the yogurt is really good.”

Catra smirks. It’s the same almost-smile look she had given Scorpia at the door, and Adora calms down a little; she knows she’s rambling, but Catra seems to like Scorpia, so if she looks at Adora the same way she must be fine, right?

Glimmer would laugh at her if she tried to explain this thought process. Adora wouldn’t blame her.

“I’m lactose intolerant.” Catra says.

“Oh, God, uh… really? I had no idea.” Adora stammers apologetically. “We can go somewhere else…?”

“But everyone’s already here.” 

“I think Perfuma is looking for vegan stuff! Can vegans have milk? I really don’t know what the deal is with that. She could help you, maybe—.” 

Catra’s smirk grows, turning into some sort of smile that makes her nose scrunch up. When she speaks, it sounds like it’s fighting a laugh. “Dude, chill. I’ll be fine. I really don’t have to get anything. I wouldn’t have if we had gone to a bar, anyway.”

Adora clenches her fists, trying to calm down without bringing attention to it. She’s not sure how to fix things, or if there’s even anything to fix. She doesn’t know how Catra wants her to react. She’s not entirely sure Catra does either. 

“Okay.” Adora breathes out.

Catra looks at her. Her smirk is mostly gone, the remnants of it riddled with confusion. Her eyebrow is quirked in a way that feels familiar, some understanding concern that Adora recognizes. 

She’s probably just used to seeing it from Glimmer and Bow. 

——

It’s 15 minutes later and they’re all seated around the table, various treats in front of them. 

Perfuma ordered sorbet that Adora guesses must be vegan, though she’s still not really sure what that means. Bow got cheesecake flavored frozen yogurt, which is yet another mystery.

Glimmer’s talking to Scorpia around mouthfuls of cake batter froyo that’s been bombarded with sprinkles and other toppings. Scorpia herself got some flavor called “mountain blackberry” that no one at the table has ever heard of but she seems to enjoy. Adora’s own chocolate and vanilla swirl sits mostly untouched. She takes a strawberry boba pearl off the top and pops it in her mouth.

She makes eye contact with Catra. Perfuma’s sitting between them, oblivious to whatever silent conversation they’re having. Catra scrunches her nose again and takes a bite of the sugar cookie Scorpia brought her. 

Bow claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. “What do you guys wanna do now that we’re all settled?” 

“We’re here to get to know each other better.” Glimmer says. “So… how do we do that?”

Perfuma’s hand shoots up. “Oh! What if we went around and answered questions? That seems efficient.”

Adora doesn’t say anything. As nice as Scorpia and Perfuma seem, and as… _Catra_ as Catra seems, she’s only known them for a little over a week. There are some things she doesn’t want them to know yet. Adora isn’t necessarily a private person, though Glimmer and Bow would probably disagree. _Once someone knows something about you, you can’t take it back. That’s it._

Catra scoffs quietly. “What, like 20 questions? Is this a sleepover now?”

“Just like 20 questions! That’s a great idea, Catra!” Bow exclaims.

“What? It wasn’t even—.” 

“Can I go first?” Perfuma asks, barreling ahead. “My favorite colors are pink and green, what about everyone else?”

“Wow. This is actually happening.” Catra says. It falls on deaf ears. She sighs and takes another bite of her cookie.

_Favorite color, huh?_ Adora thinks. She can’t remember ever consciously deciding on a favorite color. The walls in her bedroom are white, but that’s just because they’re renting the space and aren’t allowed to paint it. Her clothes are all different colors, and so are her shoes. What do people even do with a favorite color?

When they first moved in together, Glimmer and Bow were quick to decorate the place how they wanted. They got posters and pillows and succulents that only Bow could keep alive. Adora wasn’t sure where to put her things, or what kind of things she’d even want to have.

During their housewarming party someone mentioned that it didn’t even look like Adora lived there at all. They all laughed it off, but Adora kind of agreed. It didn’t _feel_ like she lived there, though it wasn’t for her roommates’ lack of trying; she just didn’t want to let herself take up space. She always cleaned up after herself and stayed in her room when everyone was home.

A few weeks later, Glimmer and Bow surprised her with something: a blanket.

“We’ve all got one.” Glimmer had said, holding out a big piece of fabric. “We asked my aunt Casta to make them. She wanted to make you a sweater, but you’ve got that jacket from— uh.”

Bow picked up where Glimmer left off and slung an arm around Adora’s shoulders. “It’s red like your jacket! Since we didn’t really know your favorite color. I have a yellow one, and Glimmer’s is purple.”

Adora held the blanket to her chest. Her friends were waiting for some sort of reaction, Glimmer’s hands still halfway outstretched from holding out the gift. “Do you… like it?”

If you ask either of them, Glimmer and Bow will claim that Adora burst into tears right then. Adora’s adamant that _no, she didn’t!_ and _okay, maybe like one tear._

Either way, it’s something she treasures, and they always use the blankets on movie and game nights. Bow’s is slightly burnt on one corner after a mishap involving their friend Seahawk and a candle Glimmer left out, but it’s fine.

They go around the circle, announcing favorite colors. Bow’s is yellow, which he advertises on practically every pair of shoes he owns, and Glimmer’s are pink and purple. Her hair is dyed that way, so no surprise there. 

“Mine is, uh, red.” Adora says, making it more awkward than it needs to be.

Scorpia’s favorite color is black, which sort of makes sense. It’s much darker than her personality, but most of the clothes Adora’s seen her in are black and she looks really good in it. 

Catra’s the last one to go. “I don’t have a favorite color. Next question.” She punctuates her statement with another bite of her sugar cookie, which makes Bow laugh.

Catra glares in his direction, but the crumbs on her face negate the effects. He laughs a little harder and Glimmer caves, snorting into her hand.

“ _Next. Question.”_ Catra grumbles.

“Okay! Sorry, sorry.” Bow chuckles. “How about zodiac sign?”

Catra frowns in confusion. “How would I even know that?”

“Well, when’s your birthday?” Glimmer asks, pulling out her phone. “That’s how you figure out your zodiac sign!”

“October 28th…”

Bow laughs. “You’re a Scorpio, then. I could see that.” Glimmer nods in agreement.

“A Scorpia?” Catra glances at her friend, confusion doubled.

Glimmer snorts again, holding out her phone for Catra to see. “No, look. A _Scorpio_. Sign of the scorpion.”

Catra reads whatever paragraph Glimmer has pulled up on her screen and scoffs. “That’s stupid. What does ‘tough-minded’ even mean?”

Scorpia pats Catra’s shoulder and smiles gently. “Aw, I don’t think you’re tough-minded! Or maybe I do… depending on what it actually means.”

Bow turns an appraising eye on Scorpia. “Cancer?” He asks.

“Pardon?”

“When’s your birthday, Scorpia?” Bow looks like he would be pushing up his glasses if he had any. 

“Oh, uh, July 5th?” Scorpia responds nervously.

“Aha!” Bow cheers. “I was right. You’re a cancer. Glimmer, if you would.”

Glimmer nods sagely, already typing something into her phone. She passes it to Scorpia, who reads the passage intently.

“Look, wildcat! Sign of the crab! I’ve always felt a real connection to crustaceans. This explains so much.” 

Catra freezes. “Scorpia…”

“So wildcat, huh?” Adora says, mirroring Cata’s smirk from earlier. “What’s all that about?”

_Oh my god, she’s cute when she’s embarrassed,_ Adora thinks. Catra’s biting her lower lip and scowling at Scorpia, her freckles disappearing into the blush on her face. Adora files the image away in her mind and then realizes it’s sort of creepy. _Well it’s not like I can forget it now._

“Just shut up!” Catra groans. “It’s not a big deal.” 

Adora can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, okay. You got it.”

Bow and Glimmer seem to have completely missed their exchange. Glimmer’s finishing off her frozen yogurt while Bow scrolls through his phone taking occasional screenshots. 

“Perfuma’s a Pisces, of course,” Bow says. “Which I already knew because we’re friends on the horoscope app I have!” 

Perfuma smiles. “I just think it’s so wonderful how the universe affects our day to day lives. Horoscopes give me the guidance I need to live in peace!”

“ _Riiight_.” Catra drawls, standing up from her seat. “Well, I’m gonna go buy another sugar cookie.”

——

They end up ordering a few more things as the time passes, though Adora mostly does it out of sympathy for the employee still behind the counter. Their group is the only one left in the store. 

It’s 30 minutes until closing, which the remaining worker keeps dropping desperate hints about. Their question game ended half an hour before. Catra’s turn consisted of her asking for everyone’s social security numbers and then, when they all refused, for their credit card numbers. The game sort of fell apart naturally after that, breaking into smaller conversations.

Bow’s in the middle of regaling everyone with the tale of Seahawk and the Candle Incident. “So then _I_ said to Glimmer: You know I always trust you, but I’m starting to get a little freaked out. And _she_ said—.”

“Just a reminder that we’ll be closing soon, so… y’know. Whatever you have to do.” The worker says, coming by with a broom. They have an exhausted and slightly crazed look in their eyes that sends more of a signal than their words.

“Sorry. We’ll get going soon.” Glimmer promises.

Bow sighs and checks the time on his phone. “Yeah, I guess we should get back to the apartment. Are you guys good to make it back? We can give you a ride if you need it, Perfuma.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Perfuma says. “I’ll manage!”

“Are you sure?” Adora asks, gathering up her trash. “You walked here, didn’t you?”

Perfuma just smiles. It reminds Adora of the same slightly crazed look the TCBY employee had, but she doesn’t question it.

“Well, okay! What about you guys? All good?” Glimmer grabs her coat off the back of her chair and slips it on.

Scorpia stands. “Catra and I drove, so we’re fine! Our hotel is nearby.”

They exchange goodbyes, and Bow makes sure to follow them all on every social media platform he can think of before they part. 

“Oh, wait! We need to take a selfie!” Bow says, furiously swiping to the camera app on his phone.

They huddle together in front of the TCBY counter trying to get everyone in frame. Catra glares, but she must be tired because she doesn’t object.

Bow puts up a peace sign and counts down from three. _He always takes selfies the same way,_ Adora thinks fondly. His followers on Twitter and Instagram seem to love the pictures he posts. He’s worked on a few movies before _Grayskull_ and amassed a small following of tech nerds and movie buffs. _Grayskull_ fans have started following his pages after his previous announcement that he would be working on the set of the adaptation.

“Send that picture to me, please!” Scorpia calls as they make their way to the parking lot.

Catra trails behind her, shuffling her feet. 

“Sugar crash?” Adora asks as she approaches her.

“Yeah, you could say that. It’s just late.” Catra responds. As soon as she says it, her mouth stretches in a yawn.

“Oh no, come on, you’re gonna make _me_ yawn!” Adora says, words distorted as she succumbs to the yawn and her own laughter. “How could you do this to me?”

“I know, I know. Ultimate betrayal. You’ve fallen prey to my master plan.” 

“It’s a pretty sucky master plan.”

Now it’s Catra’s turn to look betrayed. “Well it still worked on you, dork! And besides, it’s just a _part_ of my master plan. You’ll just have to stick around for the rest.”

“Why would I stick around if I know you’re plotting my downfall?” Adora smirks.

Catra’s eyes narrow, and she returns the smirk in full force. “Trust me, I’ll make it worth your while.”

Then she _winks_.

_Yeah, I’m screwed. This is fine. Definitely fine._ Adora’s pretty sure her brain is melting.

“Then I guess… I’ll have to, uh. It would be a shame if you— you did all that planning for nothing, right?”

Catra laughs and a storm rages half a world away. Adora thinks vaguely of the butterfly effect, of keeping the world in balance. Something that beautiful will not leave survivors. 

“Yeah, it would.”

* * *

**Master Maker Bow ✓** @arrowboy

Small cast get-together for froyo!! We had a blast :D

[image attached]

**234** Retweets **3.1k** Likes

**Swamp witch** @hoezhur

_replying to @arrowboy_

ok i wasn’t sold b4 but seein them in a pic 2gether. that’s the move. #catfuma

**3** Retweets **48** Likes

**Dee for Prez** @deedoesit

_replying to @hoezhur @arrowboy_

FR they’re standing next to each other i feel it yall #catfuma

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* * *

“So… what did you think?” Scorpia asks on the way back to the hotel. Her phone is hooked up to the aux cord, one of her many playlists belting Celine Dion on the radio. Catra hates to admit that’s its sort of calming.

“It was fine. Kinda dumb, but it was dumb in a way that made sense for them. Y’know?” Frozen yogurt was admittedly not what Catra had expected when Scorpia told her Bow was inviting them out after filming. She thought maybe they’d all go out to a bar, though there wasn’t anything about any of them that made it seem like they frequented bars often. 

“I thought it was fun! I started talking to Perfuma, and I think we have a lot in common. I mean, I’m nowhere near as talented as she is, or successful or anything, but she was nice.” 

“Scorpia.” 

“Yeah?”

Catra sighs. Her friend somehow manages to pinpoint all the good traits in everyone else and completely miss her own accomplishments. “Listen. You’re allowed to hang out with people even if you aren’t as ‘talented’ as them or whatever. Which isn’t even a problem because you’re just as cool as Perfuma. Maybe even cooler. She’s kinda unsettling, honestly.”

“Aw shucks, wildcat. You’re just saying that.” Scorpia says, smiling gently. Celine Dion takes her leave and Whitney Houston starts to sing. 

“You know I’m not.” _Not anymore_. 

There were times in the past where Catra had said something just because; to get a reaction, to get something she wanted. Not just with Scorpia, but with anyone willing to put up with her. It was learned behavior that turned into a way to test boundaries. She would force the other shoe to drop just to make something _happen._

Now Catra just tries to say what she means. It’s difficult; explaining things to other people is never easy when most of the time she doesn’t even know what she wants herself. Scorpia seems to understand.

“Well I must be pretty okay to have a best friend like you.” 

Catra doesn’t respond, and she hopes Scorpia doesn’t need her to. She hopes the words she wants to say mean enough. She hopes one day she’ll be brave enough to say them even if they don’t. It’s a start.

* * *

**Bow** _11:15 PM_

[Attachment: 1 image]

**Bow** _11:15 PM_

it was so fun hanging out with you guys!! see you tomorrow <3

**Scorpia** _11:17_ _PM_

We had a great time!! See you then :D

* * *

Adora’s exhausted by the time they finally file back into their apartment. The forty minute drive home was spent fighting off sleep, something Glimmer failed to do. Adora holds the door open as Bow shambles past carrying a knocked-out Glimmer.

“Are you sleeping out here?” Adora asks, kicking off her shoes. They’ve all got their own rooms, but the pull-out couch in their living room experiences high amounts of traffic. It was originally bought for anyone who stayed over. 

It gets used more now that they do weekly movie nights, and because Bow’s a sap.

Glimmer’s generally a pretty heavy sleeper, managing to stay unconscious even while being moved or in the presence of loud noises. It’s handy considering how much she falls asleep in the car. Bow always insists on carrying her up and Adora always reminds him that she can walk herself. It’s a routine, now.

However, on the off chance that Glimmer does wake up, she gets disoriented easily. Adora understands that it’s probably a little stressful to fall asleep in one place and wake up in another, though she’s too light of a sleeper to experience it herself. It calms Glimmer down to see someone she recognizes, so on nights that she falls asleep in the car, Bow sets up the couch and lays down next to her. 

“Yeah, I might as well.” Bow responds. He always says something like that, trying to make it seem like it’s just out of convenience. They both know it’s not the real reason. but Adora’s too tired for that discussion.

“Okay. I’d join you guys, but I’d rather not have to deal with back pain all day tomorrow. I’m gonna head to bed.” Adora grabs her red blanket off of the back of the couch and pats Bow’s shoulder on the way to the hall. He’s set Glimmer down in an armchair where she’s snoring, blissfully unaware of her surroundings.

“Night, Romeo.” Bow calls. He doesn’t make eye contact, instead focusing on unhooking the folded up futon.

Adora stops in her tracks. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, nothing.” He pauses. “You and Catra seemed to hit it off.”

_Oh God. Was I really that obvious? Did Catra notice?_

“I don’t— she’s just… interesting.” _You’re only making this worse for yourself._

“She’s definitely interesting! I’ll give her that. But we know plenty of interesting people, and you’ve never been that interested before.” Bow says, keeping his voice down to avoid waking up his best friend.

“Interesting doesn’t even sound like a real word anymore.” Adora sighs.

“You’re deflecting!” 

“I’m not deflecting! You’re deflecting.” Adora snaps, frowning as Bow puts a finger to his lips and nods at Glimmer.

“Deflecting doesn’t sound real anymore either…” Bow mutters.

“Can we just— I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now.” _Or ever._ “I’m too tired, and we have work tomorrow. It’s just not the right time.”

Bow smiles apologetically and lays out the blankets. “Of course. I’m sorry for bringing it up. We don’t have to talk about it at all, if you don’t want to.”

Adora returns his smile. “I don’t, really. But I think it might help. And besides,” She looks over at Glimmer’s sleeping form. “I think you’d be a good person to talk about it with.”

Bow doesn’t turn to see what she’s looking at, but he doesn’t need to. “Okay. Goodnight, Adora. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

——

She’s plugging her phone in when her screen lights up, illuminating her otherwise dark room. Her mind doesn’t register that someone’s calling her until it rings for the third time.

“Serenia?”

“Adora? You sound tired. Did I wake you up?” The voice on the other end of the line is calm, but hearing it sends a pang of anxiety through Adora’s body.

“No, I was just getting ready for bed.” Adora says. She sits up in bed and closes her eyes. _Deep breaths_.

“Sorry, I always forget about the time difference. I was just calling to check up on you. Should I try again later?” Serenia asks. The thing is, she probably would if Adora asked her to. _God, does she want to._

She wants to hang up. She wants to decline all her calls. It’s been a decade, it’s been five months; she’s in a hospital room and it’s been no time at all. It’s all too soon.

_Deep breaths._

“No, it’s okay.”

“Alright. How is production going? You all just started working in a new location, right?” Serenia speaks like there’s something else she wants to say instead. Adora’s grateful that she knows better than to say it.

“It’s fine. Great, actually. I’m happy with how it’s turning out.” Adora thinks about Catra’s ability to look directly into her mind and act all the scenes perfectly, and Glimmer’s ability to use her own mind to keep everything running. 

“I’m glad to hear it.” Serenia says. “And… how about your writing?”

_There it is._

“It’s there, I guess. I’m trying.” Adora doesn’t want to talk about this at all. She’s not ready to hear the disappointment in Serenia’s voice.

“You have to keep the momentum up, Adora. We’re both privileged to have these opportunities, but we can’t rely on them. I didn’t help you publish _Grayskull_ because I thought it would be adapted into a film later, or because of how long I’ve known you—I did it because of your writing talent. You can’t squander this.” 

Logically, Adora knows that Serenia’s right. She can’t put everything into this one project. She can’t just _stop._ She’d be letting too many people down.

“Mara never stopped writing, you know.” Serenia says lightly.

It’s been a decade. It’s been five months. It’s been forever and it’s been no time at all. Her room smells like disinfectant and smoke. The entire world smells like disinfectant and smoke.

Adora hangs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh yeah if u saw any continuity errors/grammar mistakes no you didn’t! As always comments mean so so so much and i really appreciate them! Kudos also make my day. Come bully me nicely @ rosebudryot on tumblr


	3. In Her Shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuh yoh. First off, a very happy birthday to Aimee Carrero, voice of Adora! I keep posting on She-Ra birthdays, strangely enough. Second off: my brain is not functioning right now. I finished editing 5 minutes ago instead of last week like I was supposed to. This chapter wasn’t very easy to write because of the nature of it, but hopefully y’all will still enjoy it! 
> 
> Thanks as always to fic buddy Emma, Donald glover enthusiast Sink, Bokuto connoisseur Kilo, and Bep for bribing me with stickers :)
> 
> Books-made-into-movies chapter title theme continues with “In Her Shoes” by Jennifer Weiner

Catra braces the oversized duffle bag she’s carrying against one hip and shoves open the door with more force than is strictly necessary. It always sticks, which is a consequence of living in a complex with a neglectful landlord. 

The first thing she’s greeted with is the scent of her apartment. It’s easier to pick up on because she’s been away for a while—there’s the candles Scorpia won’t stop buying her, the laundry detergent Catra uses—and it’s nice to have something familiar.

The second thing she’s greeted with is Melog. He saunters around the corner, feline eyes full of disdain.

He was a rescue. It’s one of the many things he has in common with his owner. He’s got brown fur a little darker than Catra’s hair, with a thicker patch of grayish fur around his neck. She’s got no idea what kind of cat he is, really, but he’s got the personality of a human. 

“Don’t look at me that way, you big baby.” Catra says, shrugging her bag off and setting it by the door. “It was only a few days. I left you plenty of food.”

Melog continues to glare at her, but he comes closer so she can kneel down and pet him. 

“You wouldn’t have liked that hotel anyway. There wasn’t a single cardboard box to sit in.” 

Melog meows like he accepts her reasoning and bumps his head against her outstretched hand now that she’s down by his level. He’s pretty good at reminding Catra how much she’s missed him.

She doesn’t notice the paper until Melog steps on it. It’s sitting folded up near a pair of her boots, the stark white standing out against the hardwood floors.

“Melog, what’s this?” Catra asks, briefly scratching behind his ears before pushing him gently off of the corner of the paper. He meows at her but doesn’t complain any further.

It looks like a sheet of printer paper someone folded in half. It’s completely blank on the outside, though it does have a faint paw print from where Melog stood.

It’s not blank on the inside.

The Horde symbol stares back at her, crimson ink meeting wide eyes, shooting ice through her veins. There’s nothing else on the paper, and Catra’s not sure if that makes her feel better or worse. 

There’s no way she could’ve dropped this—she never would’ve had it in the first place—and the only other person she lets into her apartment is Scorpia. 

The phone doesn’t even ring three times before she hears Scorpia’s voice. “Hey! Did you make it home okay? I was gonna call you as soon as I got in, but I think I forgot to take the trash out before I left.” 

Catra struggles to keep up with the words she’s hearing. Her mind is still racing, and it’s making it difficult to think of anything beyond the paper she’s got crumpled in a death grip. “Scorpia, did you…” She trails off.

“Did I what? I mean, the trash is out _now_ , but it still smells pretty bad—.“

Melog lays one of his paws on Catra’s knee and stares at her. She feels a little silly for making eye contact with a cat, but it reminds her where she is; in her apartment, far away from the place this symbol decorated. 

“Um, no, I...” Catra squeezes her eyes shut and continues. “Did you leave a piece of paper in my apartment? With the— the Horde symbol on it?”

There’s sounds of shuffling from the other line. “What? I’ve never had any paper like that. I thought we were trying to stay away from all that, since—.” Scorpia stops herself. “Why do you ask?”

“I found something in my apartment. It’s just like, a blank piece of paper with the symbol printed out on it and nothing else. I figured I’d ask you since I don’t really have anyone else over.” Catra lets go of the paper slightly.

“Maybe someone slid it under your door… do you think a fan found your apartment?” Scorpia offers, sounding unsure.

It could work as an explanation, albeit a shaky one. She lives in a moderately sized apartment complex that’s too inconspicuous to attract the attention of any paparazzi. _Not that I’d warrant paparazzi anyway_ , Catra thinks. The Horde movies certainly got good ratings, but they’re the only films she’s performed in. She isn’t—shouldn’t be—on anyone’s radar.

At least, not anyone with good intentions. 

Which seems clear as she glances at the paper again, now laying partially crumpled on the floor. Even if it was a fan, this doesn’t seem like a peaceful offering. “It’s just weird. Why would someone do this?”

_It’s a threat,_ Catra’s mind says. _It’s a warning. You need to get out._

“I don’t know, wildcat.” Scorpia replies. “It’s probably nothing.”

* * *

Adora wrote _Grayskull_ because it felt like something inside of her would break if she didn’t. It was all self-preservation. It turned into something bigger than that by the end, of course, but that was never the plan.

Writing helped her feel more like herself during a time when “herself” was more of a vague concept than a functional being. Glimmer and Bow did their best to help her acclimate to her new situation, but Adora hardly ever knew what to tell them. Notebooks and keyboards don’t care if you’re crying while speaking your mind; people typically do.

She’s not crying now, though she probably couldn’t even if she wanted to. There’s just _nothing_. There are days when Adora feels like as long as she’s typing she can breathe, and sentences come willingly, already knowing where they’re supposed to go. Everything’s got a place; her job is just to put it there. 

Then, there are days like these. Everything feels like a challenge. She’ll get down a word or two, make them a sentence, make them a paragraph, and it feels like she’s finally taking a deep breath. Then her mind catches up and she’s deleting everything and wondering why she ever thought any of it was worthy in the first place.

_Why am_ I _worthy?_

_Mara never stopped writing._

Adora closes her eyes and leans back from her desk for what must be the 50th time since she sat down. Serenia’s voice keeps replaying in her mind. Sometimes she’ll hear Bow and Glimmer, too, and _Catra_ , for some reason. They all sound disappointed. She’s letting them all down and riding on the coattails of their success. 

“Adora?”

There’s Glimmer again. Adora pushes the heels of her palms against her eyes. She just wants it to stop.

“Uhh… Adora?”

...Wait.

Glimmer’s standing in her doorway, one hand braced against the frame. Her eyebrows are scrunched up in worry. 

“Hey,” Glimmer says softly. “What’re you doing in here?”

Adora does her best to conjure up something that resembles a reassuring smile. “I’m just brainstorming.”

“For what?”

“It’s nothing. I got some ideas and wanted to get them down before I forgot, y’know.” Adora hopes the brightness on her laptop is low enough to hide the fact that her screen is blank.

“Okay. You’ve been in here all day, so I just wanted to… Bow’s headed home, he said he’ll get us some food on the way. You want anything?” Glimmer asks.

Adora tries to shake off the feeling that Glimmer’s looking through her. “I’m okay. Thanks, though.”

“Adora…” Glimmer trails off again, and Adora’s stuck between wishing everyone would just say what they mean and hoping that no one ever will. “We’re gonna be back in the studio tomorrow, so don’t burn up all your creativity in here.”

“I won’t.” Adora smiles. It’s fragile—she knows her friend can probably tell. 

Glimmer leaves with a smile of her own, and it’s just as frail. Adora turns back to her screen and wonders what words she would use in place of the silence the woman left behind.

* * *

**Bow** _1:32_ _PM_

any luck?

**Glimmer** _1:35 PM_

nope

**Bow** _1:35 PM_

:(

* * *

Scorpia drives her to the studio like always. She always claims that she doesn’t mind, and it’s a great deal for Catra, who doesn’t have a car. 

They’re a little more than two weeks into filming at this point. Thaymor was a chill break, even though they were still working during the day. The brief change in scenery and ability to spend time outside was actually kinda nice.

(Though Catra doesn’t miss the bugs.)

Still, Catra prefers the studio. When she’s there, everything just makes sense. It’s the only place she can go where she’s able to give everyone what they expect of her. She doesn’t have to guess at anyone’s motivations.

Especially not Starla. The woman can be exceedingly blunt at times, which Catra found out first-hand when she was gently chewed out for not brushing her hair. 

It made her breath catch, at first, but Starla didn’t raise her voice. She laughed while battling the tangles and picked up like their conversation hadn’t ended. Catra still makes sure to run a brush through her hair every morning at the very least. It’s just easier.

“There.” Starla says now, gently moving Catra’s head from side to side. “I think I got it even. If not, we’ll just blame my sister!” 

Catra smiles and checks in the large vanity mirror in front of her. “It looks fine to me, but I think Tall could use the reality check.”

“Oh! Don’t let her hear you,” Starla laughs. “She’ll shave your head while you’re not paying attention!”

Starla’s older sister Tallstar is an intimidating woman with short-cropped hair. Catra’s never had an actual conversation with her, but from her sister’s stories she seems like the type to actually cut someone’s hair in retribution. 

“Speaking of…” Starla drawls. 

Catra narrows her eyes at the hairdresser in the mirror. “What are you planning?”

“Nothing! I mean, it’s not personal. We’re just going to have to do something with your hair soon. It needs to be _way_ shorter for the scenes we’ve got coming up… how do you feel about wigs?” 

“They’re fine, I guess?” Catra shrugs. “I’ve never worn one.” She’s never had to do anything too out there with her hair for a movie before, but it’s certainly not unheard of for actresses to cut their hair for a part. It’s just a little weird to imagine her hair being shorter, even if it is just a wig. She’s always had long hair.

“Just a thought.” Starla speaks around a bobby pin she’s got in her mouth. “We’ll have to figure something like that out.”

———

After going through hair and makeup she makes her way through wardrobe, which is really just a fancy way of saying she puts on whatever outfit the crew has hung on the door to her dressing room. 

Today it’s another weird bodysuit type thing, and Catra grumbles as she pulls it on. _Why can’t Adora write characters with t-shirts?_

Scorpia greets her outside the door once she’s dressed, and they make their way to the set. There’s still some miscellaneous crew members setting up camera rigs at the last minute. It’s not surprising; the studio always seems to be in motion.

“Scorpia! Catra!” The pair turn to see Glimmer jogging toward them. She’s holding onto a coffee cup like a lifeline, and she looks as tired as Catra feels. “Okay, so we’re gonna have you doing some solo scenes—nothing crazy, mostly just reaction stuff—and then Perfuma will do her own bit, and uh, hopefully that won’t take too long.”

Catra nods, partly for fear of setting the other woman off. It’s not that she looks _unhinged_ , exactly, but…

“How are you doing, Glimmer? Uh, ma’am?” Scorpia asks. 

_Scorpia to the rescue._

“Wh— you don’t have to call me ma’am.” Glimmer takes a big sip from her coffee cup and continues. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“You’ve just got a kinda, like, crazed look in your eyes?”

“It’s nothing. I’m trying to figure out locations and one of the places just cancelled on us because of some stupid _parade_ and,” Glimmer tries to take another sip from her cup only to find it empty. “I’ve got it under control!”

Scorpia nods sympathetically. “Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help!”

“Thanks, Scorpia. Catra, you should probably get in position. If we get off schedule by even a second my mom will probably find out.” Glimmer stares off into the distance for a moment and shudders before departing.

“Alright, wildcat.” Scorpia says, clapping her hands once. “Bust a move!”

“ _Please_ just say break a leg like everyone else. I’m begging at this point.” 

Scorpia frowns. “I don’t want to jinx it! Breaking your leg would be bad.”

Catra sighs and shakes her head. The thing is, Scorpia probably really believes that. “Alright. I’ll do my best, I guess.”

———

They work through some blocking for the first scene. Spinnerella, who Catra remembers vaguely from her audition, is mostly in charge of walking the actors through that part. 

Everything feels a little clumsy without the cameras rolling. Catra’s not sure who to perform for when they’re just rehearsing. Spinnerella gives her some notes Glimmer wanted to be sure to include in the script, and they go through the motions.

Fortunately for Catra, it doesn’t take long. The scenes they’ve got scheduled for today aren’t very complex, so it’s mostly just a matter of remembering where to stand and when to turn. _And the whole acting part, idiot. Don’t let your guard down just because you don’t have many lines._

Catra tries to make eye contact with Adora before Glimmer calls “Action!” but the other woman isn’t looking at anyone. Her gaze is locked onto her hands, which are folded in her lap. She doesn’t seem to be crying, or anything, just… not all there. Catra manages to make eye contact with Glimmer and she points surreptitiously to the director’s friend, but Glimmer just shakes her head.

_Okay. Another time, then._

“Quiet on set!” Catra’s mind narrows down to one singular goal. It’s easier to focus in the silence. She knows she should feel anxious that everyone’s paying attention to her, but it just feels right. 

_Well, not everyone._

Adora doesn’t even look up.

“Action!” Glimmer’s voice carries like a gunshot in the silent room, and it holds the same weight. Catra steels her nerves and starts to move.

The puzzle pieces slot together; she moves like clockwork. There’s a desk set up in the middle of the faux room she’s in that she runs her hand across. Everything fits the way it’s supposed to.

There’s something she’s always loved about acting—it’s about getting reactions, sure, but anyone can do that. You can make someone cry by telling the truth. It’s the exhilaration of taking something you know and twisting it. You can read a script over and over, memorize every paragraph, but it’s not the same as bringing it to life. 

Catra’s familiar with the power of words in theory; a writer can describe a car crash in perfect detail and give you the same feeling you’d have when witnessing one— _don’t look away._

Catra can make a car crash seem like the least of your problems. Inflections, expressions; it’s nothing personal.

She follows the script until, suddenly, something shifts. Out of the corner of her eye she can see something red marking the floor. In her mind, it’s the Horde symbol. Devils wings decorate the set and the lights all get dimmer. Her body’s still moving but it’s all on autopilot. _If there aren’t any lights, does that mean there’s no shadows? Or is everything a shadow?_

Catra struggles to remember the next direction. There’s a prop screen in front of her. It doesn’t show anything now, but later there will be a message typed up. She sinks to her knees right on cue. It’s a practiced motion.

She’s not hidden from the cameras, but Catra hopes the deep breaths she’s taking fit into the scene anyway. _I’m not with Prime._ She repeats the mantra until at least a part of her believes it. 

The moment passes, and her character is supposed to look up with unfocused eyes. It’s meant to show a breaking point, to make the audience feel something like pity. But as Catra’s gaze lifts, she finally locks eyes with Adora. She’s anything but unfocused now, and it no doubt shows on her face. Something passes between them.

_You’re here now. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you then._

Catra’s pulse speeds up. Adora’s looking at her like she knows, like she _understands,_ and it makes the actress’ heart hurt. It’s terrifying. 

Scorpia will never understand fully. She knows better than other people just through the virtue of being around Catra as she was leaving Prime, but she can’t know all of it. Catra doesn’t want her to. But Adora, who wasn’t even there, seems like she knows. Which means that _Grayskull_ isn’t the only story she has to tell.

Catra hopes that the way she’s looking at Adora now says everything she can’t say out loud. _You’re here now. Nobody blames you._

* * *

Walking into the studio that morning was hard. Adora hadn’t made any substantial progress on writing the day before, despite staying in her room all day trying to work. Seeing all of the crew members doing their jobs to make this whole thing run smoothly just made her feel like an impostor. They didn’t have any problem doing their jobs, so why couldn’t she do hers?

It didn’t help that Glimmer and Bow kept looking at her worriedly when they thought she couldn’t see.

Adora spent most of the morning trying to come up with something that would satisfy her publisher. She had a few ideas, but they were just vague scenes and half-formed plots. She didn’t feel any connection with them.

She was having trouble feeling a connection with _anything_ on set until Catra started performing. The scene was simple; Catra’s character was by herself again, reacting to the set, but Adora still couldn’t look away. 

There was something so magnetic about the way the other woman acted. The core of the story was all Adora’s—with a few changes made for viewers’ sake—yet Catra still somehow managed to make it feel like her own. And it wasn’t like she was trying to overshadow anyone or bring the spotlight on herself, either; you just couldn’t help but pay attention to her.

Adora felt it more than saw it the moment Catra lost that confidence. They were nearing the end of the scene when Catra glanced to the side and her expression changed for a millisecond. 

There wasn’t anything in that direction that caught Adora’s eye. She could see the camera rigs casting shadows on the ground and a few markers on the ground—red x’s done in gaffer tape on the floor—but there wasn’t anything obvious.

Catra carried on, but there was something raw in her eyes. It’s like it wasn’t just _acting_ anymore, not completely. Adora doubted anyone else would notice; it was easy to chalk it up to her skill level. A quick glance confirmed her suspicions. Glimmer was watching the scene with rapt attention, but she didn’t seem concerned.

Adora knew what it felt like to keep going when her mind was somewhere else entirely. That look in Catra’s eyes—she noticed it because she’d seen it in the mirror countless times before. The past had a funny way of catching up with people like that. 

The moment they made eye contact, the rest of the studio faded away. 

———

“Adora, can we talk for a second?” Glimmer asks, standing in the doorway of her makeshift office. 

Adora nods, already dreading whatever conversation they’re about to have. Still, she knows it’s easier not to argue and follows Glimmer into the room.

Bow’s already sitting on the loveseat against the far wall. He’s not as good at hiding the fact that he’s worried. His less-than-genuine smile just makes Adora’s skin crawl. It’s hard to feel like she’s not letting everyone down when they look at her like this—it’s just similar enough to pity to make her uncomfortable.

Adora makes her way over to the chair opposite Bow while Glimmer sits next to him. She imagines that to an outsider it would look like a kid about to get scolded by her parents. 

“So…” Glimmer starts. “We just wanted to… check up.” 

Adora stares at the pair of them blankly. 

Bow clears his throat and lays a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder. _They really do look like concerned parents,_ Adora thinks. _Not like I have any first hand experience with that, though._

“Yeah! We’re just checking in. No pressure, I mean— you don’t have to talk about it!” Bow assures. 

Glimmer shoots him a _look_ . “ _But_ she’s been weird since the day after we got froyo, and we’re worried. Right?”

“ _But_ if she wanted to talk to us about something by now she would!”

“When have you ever known _Adora_ to be open about her emotions?”

“Well maybe it’s because we’re not being supportive enough! Or we’re being too pushy and scaring her off,” Bow’s voice wavers. ”Are we being bad friends?”

“Guys!” Adora interrupts. They both turn to look at her, looking faintly guilty. “I’m fine. I swear. It’s not because you guys are bad friends.”

Bow’s expression of relief doesn’t last long. “Is it because of what I said the other night? About you and Catra?”

Adora blushes and shakes her head.

Glimmer looks between the two of them like she’s seeing them for the first time. “Wait, what did Bow say? What about Catra?”

Adora says “nothing” at the same time that Bow all but shouts “Adora has a crush on Catra!”

“ _What!?”_ Glimmer yelps. “When were you gonna tell me?”

“Adora, I’m so sorry! You know I can’t keep a secret from her!”

Adora runs a hand down her face and sighs, knowing her friends can see how red it probably is. “It’s okay, Bow. It’s not even a secret. I mean, not because I’m trying to be obvious or anything. Just because it’s not true? And even if it was, it’s not like she would like me back.” _I sound like a middle schooler._

Glimmer shakes her head and smiles. “Wow. How did it take me so long to notice?”

“See?” Bow exclaims. “You would’ve found out either way! She’s super bad at hiding it.”

“Yeah, well it definitely could explain why she’s been walking around like a kicked puppy since she hung out with Catra at TCBY. I bet she thinks Catra’s out of her league!”

“I’m still here, you guys.”

Bow gasps and puts his hand over his heart dramatically. “No!”

Glimmer nods. “Yes! Don’t get me wrong, Catra’s hot—.”

“Wait, you think Catra’s hot?” Adora frowns. _I mean, she_ is _, but I didn’t expect her to say it._

“—but Adora’s hot too! And their dynamic is perfect!” 

_It’s like I’m not even in the room._

“Plus, did you see the way Catra looked at her while we were filming that first scene today? That wasn’t in the script, but it may make it to the final product anyway. It was just so _convincing.”_

Bow nods earnestly and Adora wishes she could freeze time and escape somehow. Her friends had apparently noticed the look Catra gave her, though they were still oblivious to the meaning behind it. And the fact that Adora had returned Catra’s stare with a meaning of her own.

Not that Adora herself understood fully what had happened. She knew Catra was upset—or at least off balance, though she played it off well. Something had gotten to her on set. 

_Or maybe she was just changing up the stage directions. Stop reading into things so much._

Adora shakes her head to dislodge the increasingly brutal thoughts that are starting to spiral. Glimmer picks up on it and frowns. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it, Adora. Seriously. You guys seemed to really hit it off the other night.” Glimmer says, and leans over to place a hand on Adora’s knee. 

It burns, making it seem like the room is closing in on her, but Adora doesn’t pull away. She can’t think. She’s not upset because of Catra, but if Glimmer and Bow think that maybe everyone else does too. 

“That’s not—.” Adora starts, taking a stilted breath in. _Why is it so hard to just say what I mean? I’m a writer. I’m supposed to have the right words here. That’s my whole thing._

“Do you want to talk to her about it?” Bow asks. 

“Or we could talk to her for you!” Glimmer squeezes Adora’s knee in excitement. “If you want!”

“No!” Adora refuses. It sounds more like a shout than she wants it to, but speaking in itself is an accomplishment when she feels like someone’s standing on her chest. “I’m not— I’m not upset because of Catra.”

Her friends wait for her to continue.

“She’s great. And… and I like her—maybe even in the way you mean. I want to get to know her better.”

“So,” Bow says. “There is another reason you’re upset, then?”

Adora takes a deep breath. “Serenia called me.”

They react about how she expects them to. There’s a mix of emotions, all of them restrained for her sake. Bow looks surprised and confused; Glimmer, confused and angry. But neither of them say anything. 

“It was the night we went out. Uh… she called to check up on me. Asked me how things were going and stuff. I told her it was all fine, and she asked me about my writing.” Adora stops there. 

She doesn’t tell them about Serenia mentioning Mara, because she doesn’t even want to think about it. If they started apologizing and looking at her with those pitying eyes she’s not sure she could handle it. Adora also neglects to tell them that the call had ended with her hanging up.

Serenia took the hint and hadn’t tried to contact her again _._

“Is that all?” Bow asks. He knows it isn’t. 

“Yeah. I’m sorry for making you guys worry.” Adora shrugs.

He also knows when to push and when to leave things alone.

“Okay. Okay.” Glimmer nods, though it’s possibly just to assure herself. “So Serenia called and was kind of a downer, and you may or may not have a crush on Catra. We can… we can handle this!” 

Adora knows that there’s more to it, but she’s just so tired of not having a plan. Her mind’s been turning itself inside out for days. “That about sums it up.”

Bow stands up and heads for the door. “We’re gonna figure this out, okay? I promise.” He pauses inside the doorframe. “But first, I’m gonna go get us some coffee.”

* * *

**Nani wo~** @bakibakiniore

i decided to read #grayskull bc @catraofdriluth has the starring role… WOW

**8** Retweets **73** Likes

**TAZ: PTTM out now!!** @ravenandram

_replying to @bakibakiniore_

RIGHT adoras writing is amazing I can’t wait for the movieee 

**2** Retweets **18** Likes

* * *

Scorpia doesn’t look too worried when Catra makes it back to her own dressing room. 

There’s no underlying concern in the way she smiles at Catra. When she lifts her hand, it’s just to wave. 

Her friend is good at a lot of things, but she can’t hide anything from people she cares about. And she cares about Catra. Catra knows this—tries to remember that she knows this.

“How’d it go?” Scorpia asks. 

Catra’s a little surprised that her voice doesn’t crack when she speaks. “It was fine. The normal stuff.”

“Well that’s good! I saw the first little bit, but then I got caught up in a conversation with Perfuma.” 

Scorpia goes quiet, and the gentle admiration in her voice is a welcome distraction. 

“Perfuma, huh?” Catra responds, leaning closer to the vanity mirror to locate the pins hidden in her hair. “And… how is she?”

“Oh, you know. She’s good.” There's definitely a lilt in Scorpia’s voice. “We talked about yoga.”

_Is this what it’s like?_ Catra thinks. _You like someone, and it’s just that easy?_ _Your voice goes all soft and you talk about the stuff you do?_

It would be different for her, Catra knows. She’s not like Scorpia. She's not even sure her voice can sound like that—especially not while talking about yoga. 

And Scorpia’s not like her. She doesn’t get it.

There’s someone who might, though. Adora looked… different, this morning. Catra was trying to remind herself that she was _real_ , and Adora looked for all the world like she could pick up right where Catra left off if they were to switch places. _Like she knew how it felt._

Adora’s got her past locked up somewhere.

Catra’s past taught her a lot—like how to break locks—but there’s one lesson she remembers clearly, now. 

There are some things you don’t ask. There are things you ought to let live in the shadows, known but not addressed. She knows the look she saw in Adora’s eyes was some sort of recognition; can infer about how it got there. 

_It’s not my job to know any more_. 

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Scorpia exclaims. “Did you figure anything out with that note?”

Catra’s here to get away from her past, not to find it in the eyes of someone she doesn’t know very well.

“No,” Catra murmurs. “It’s just like you said—it’s probably nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the next one will be better. Probably. This chapter was finished last night because motivation is a bit hard to come by, but comments help so much! I appreciate every single one I get. If all goes according to plan, I’ll have started, completed, and edited chapter 4 by the 25th, when it will be posted. Wish me luck.
> 
> The playlist for this fic can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ysdEhORtflKHtHhXRSfZE?si=WLqbDN1PQ-ifdxQf1KhmSw:
> 
> I can be found on tumblr @ rosebudryot ! See y’all soon :)


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